Device for scribing fluid adhesives



Nov. 14, 1950 A. L. HENSON 2,530,199

DEVICE FOR SCRIBING FLUID ADHESIVES Filed Jan. 24, 1948 INVENTOR. ARTHUR L. HENSON Patented Nov. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR SCRIBING FLUID ADHESIVES Arthur L. Henson, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application January 24, 1948, Serial No. 4,164

1 Claim. 1

My invention relatesto improvementsin a fluid dispenser of a type for dispensing adhesives in paste or liquid form from a source of supply directly to a work surface. In particular, it relates to a dispenser for adhesives such as would find particular utility in a photographic laboratory or in any other business where viscous adhesives are applied by hand directly to an extended surface of one member after which the member is placed in adhering contact with another member.

In photographic laboratories an important operation which requires both considerable care and also is time-consuming, is in mounting the finished pictures on suitable screens or frame members. The operation is ordinarily accomplished by applying a thin film of adhesive to the face of the screen or back of the photograph adjacent the outer edges, and requires a certain amount of care both in applying the proper amount of adhesive and in spreading the same in a thin ribbon along the full extent of the surface to which it is to be applied. It is of further importance that this operation be accomplished in a minimum amount of time as a primary object is to provide a labor saving means.

In the past, insofar as I am aware, this operation has been done with the use of a small brush which was from time to time dipped into a container of adhesive, or by the use of a stopper container having a perforation therein which permitted a small amount of an adhesive in liquid form to pass through the. stopper when the container was inverted and rubbed on the surface to receive the adhesive. Either of these methods were both inefficient and time-consuming. When a brush was used, precautions were necessary to remove the excess paste or liquid, from the bristles to prevent dripping, and not infrequently it was necessary for the brush to be dipped several times when the surface to which the adhesive was applied was relatively large. When a bottle having a perforated stopper was used, the high viscosity of the liquid often precluded a steady flow as the stopper was moved over the surface so that the film was not always uniformly applied.

The present invention, contemplates overcome. ing these difiiculties by providing a fluid container which is adapted to be suitably mounted in a stationary position. on a wall or shelf member. The container is. provided with an air-tight closure, and means for introducing av pressurized fluid, such as air, above the liquid leyel of the container. A flexible conduit is suitably joined to the container and extends to the area where the work is located. A suitable control valve is provided on the end of the conduit for dispensing the adhesive directly to the work surface. In a modified form of the invention, where several operators are engaged in performing similar op erations, a suitable header is connected to the container and each of the flexible conduits are joined to the header, thus requiring only a single liquid container capable of serving a number of operators.

An object of my invention is to provide a labor saving dispenser for easily and quickly applying fluid adhesive over an extensive work surface.

Another object is to provide a dispenser which constitutes a liquid container adapted to be per-, manently mounted and joined to a source of air pressure, and a flexible conduit connected at one end to the container and at the other end to a. control valve for dispensing the liquid in a ribbon upon extended areas of a work surface.

A further object is to provide in combination with a liquid dispenser having a flexible conduit joined thereto, a plunger type valve on the outer end of the conduit for dispensing the liquid directly to a work surface merely by pressing the end of the valve to the surface and moving it along the surface if a ribbon isdesired.

Qther and further objects may become apparent from the following description and claim, and in the appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a dispenser forming the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a modification of the structure shown in Fig. 1 which is effective to serve a number of operators; and,

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged longitudinal section through a portion of a dispensing valve shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention will be described in detail. Referring first to Fig. 1, general reference numeral [0 indicates a liquid adhesive dispenser in the form of a liquid container I2 having a cone shaped base portion [4. The top surface l5 of the container I2 is joined to the side walls at all points and at the center of top [6 is provided with an inlet opening in the form of a nipple I8 onwhich is threadedly mounted a scalable cap structure 20. A nipple 22 extends through a lateral surface of the c0ntainer,which on its outer endis joined to a valve 24, which through suitable connections such as a conduit 26 and a reducing valve 281 is joined to an air pressure cylinder 3.0. Inplace ofcylinder 30, any other means of providing airunder pressure, such as a hand operated pump or a motor driven compressor may be used, since the only object is to provide air under pressure to the interior of container l2. A suitable pressure gauge 32 is mounted in a lateral surface of the container for indicating the air pressure within container 12.

Extending downwardly from the center of the cone shaped portion I4 is a nipple 34 which is connected to a valve 36. Extending from valve 36 is a flexible conduit 38 which may be formed of any suitable material which is sufficiently strong to maintain fluid under pressure and yet retain its characteristics of being flexible. For practical purposes either a reinforced rubber hose or a flexible metal conduit may be used.

A fluid flow control device indicated by the general reference numeral 40, which will be described in detail hereinafter, is suitably joined to the outer end of conduit 38.

The container 12 will ordinarily be mounted in a stationary position, and for this purpose a bracket structure is provided, which consists of a ring 42 that extends about the lateral surface of container l2 and is suitably joined by legs 44 and 45 to a base 48, for mounting on a flat surface such as a table or shelf.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the construction of the control valve 45 will be explained in detail. A tubular body member 59 is provided with a coupling 52 for threadedly joining the same to a conduit 38, which in this instance is a flexible metallic hose. When a rubber hose is used, an ordinary clamp may be used as a securing means. The body member 50 is provided at one end with an angular portion 54, and both portions have been drilled out at 56 and 58 to be tubular throughout. The body member 59 is formed with a loop 59 on its outer surface, which may be used as a means of hanging the valve on a suitable hook when not in use.

r A plunger type valve mechanism, indicated by the general reference numeral 80 is secured within the tubular portion 58 of the body member. The plunger type valve 63 is similar in construction to a type of valve used for controlling air pressure in a pneumatic tire used on automobiles, and consists of a threaded head portion 62 which is threadedly joined to the interior of tubular portion 58. A rod 64 has a keeper 66 at one end and a tubular member 88 adjacent its other end, which latter member has an interior passage 69. A valve member Ti) cooperates with a seat formed on the outer end of tubular member 68 and is normally maintained in a closed position by a spring 12. On its outer end rod 64 carries a spherical surface 14 whose purpose will be described hereinafter.

Referring now to Fig. 2 is shown a modification of the structure previously disclosed in Fig. l.

In certain applications it may be necessary for a number of operators to perform similar tasks of applying liquid adhesive to extensive areas, and in the interest of economy, a single container 12 supported by the ring 42 and legs 44 and 45 to a base 48. The base 48 in this instance may be mounted on a wall or shelf 49. In this disclosure a conduit 15, which may be of rigid nature, is joined between valve 36 and a header T6 in the form of a metallic pipe which is closed at either ends by cap structures 11 and 18. Suitably joined to header (6 at spaced apart distances from each other are a plurality of flexible conduits 38a, each of which at its outer end carries a flow control valve 40.

In operation the device functions as follows: Cap 20 is removed and a quantity of fluid adhesive in the form of mucilage, glue or semi-fluid paste is placed in container [2 whereafter the cap is again secured in place. Valve 24 is moved to an open position and from a suitable source, such as a pump or compressed air tank, air is introduced into the container 12 above the liquid level therein until a suitable pressure of about 25 pounds is indicated on gauge 32. Thereafter valve 24 is closed and valve 36 is opened to permit the adhesive to travel through conduit 38 to the flow control valve 40. Valve 40 is held in the hand of an operator with the spherical surface 14 pointing towards the work surface to which the adhesive is to be applied. By pressing the body portion lightly after the spherical surface '14 is in contact with the work surface, the plunger rod 84 is moved inwardly against the resilience of spring 12 so as to permit the liquid adhesive to pass the valve surface It and through the interior passage 69 of tubular members 58 and 62 and to flow out of valve member along the stem of the plunger 64 and to spread on either side of spherical surface 14. Because the adhesive is of a viscous nature, it will flow in a steady stream through the open end of passage 58 directly onto the work surface. The extent of flow can be regulated by the pressure applied to the work surface. When a ribbon of the fluid is required, pressure is maintained between the valve and the work surface and the valve is moved to the desired extent along the work surface. In this manner the air pressure in the container will provide a continuous stream of adhesive to flow onto the work surface whenever the valve is moved. The adhesive will form a ribbon whose width is dependent upon the pressure applied to the plunger but if this not spread the fluid sufiiciently, the angular portion 54 of the valve body may be used as an additional means of spreading the fluid. Thus, in view of the fact that conduit 38 is flexible, the operator need only pass the control valve 4D along a line or area to which the liquid adhesive is to be applied. When the control valve 40 is lifted from the work, pressure is released on plunger 54, and valve 10 moves to a closed position by the resilience of spring 1'2 and the operator may dispose of the structure by hanging valve 43 on a suitable hook with the aid of ring 59. During prolonged periods of inactivity, as for example over night or over a week-end, the valve is placed in a cup or jar containing water which will act to prevent the adhesive from drying and harden ing around the open end of the valve. In this manner the device is always ready for use and, therefore, the air pressure in the container need not be released except for refilling the container.

Where a number of operators are engaging in the same operation, a structure such as is disclosed in Fig. 2, may be utilized. In this instance the header 16 will be of sumcient length to extend along the entire work table and each operator will have an individual conduit 3811 by which he may apply adhesive independently of other operators.

The advantages of my invention reside primarily in providing a simple time-saving means for dispensing liquid adhesive over extended areas, by placing the adhesive under pressure to thereby reduce its viscosity and in providing a simple control valve by which the adhesive may be applied directly to the work surface without the use of brushes or other tools.

I claim:

A device for scribing fluid adhesive onto a paper surface, comprising an angularly shaped tubular body member having an inlet end and an outlet end, said body member at its inlet end being adapted for connection to a pressurized body of liquid adhesive, an annular valve seat having a center opening supported within said body member adjacent the outlet end, a plunger valve within the body member and extending through the annular opening in the valve seat, the lateral surface of said plunger beyond the valve seat being annularly spaced from the inner wall of the body member to form a liquid passage of greater cross dimension than the diameter of the plunger, the outer end of the plunger extending beyond the outer end of the body member and being movable relative thereto, resilient means carried within the body member and connected to the plunger for biasing the same to a normally closed position with respect to the valve seat whereby pressure applied to the body member in the direction of the work surface permits liquid to flow about the plunger directly to the work surface, and a spherical member whose Lvl diameter is greater than the diameter of the plunger and substantially equal to the diameter of the annular opening in the valve seat connected to the outer end of the plunger for retarding the flow of liquid when the valve is open and for smoothly spreading the liquid in a defined path as the body is moved relative to the paper surface.

ARTHUR L. HENSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

